R I H A N N A

If nothing else, it has been an eventful and eye opening year for Barbados born songstress Rihanna. In addition to recording one of the most popular singles of 2005, the hypnotic "Pon De Replay" (which bass bumped out of more car windows while igniting a slew of barbeques last summer), she won over the masses with her charming Bajan persona.

"So much has happened in my life, I feel like I've grown five years in a year," she gushes. No doubt, by the time Def Jam Records released Rihanna's debut album Music of the Sun, it was obvious that this young woman was more than a one-hit wonder. With a work ethic reminiscent of Motown sisters back in the day when soul reigned supreme, Rihanna traveled throughout the world.

2005 saw Rihanna rocking the mic on tour with Gwen Stefani, making crowds sweat in Japan, posing for magazine covers in Los Angeles and shooting her first film role for Bring It On Yet Again. This was a long way from the quiet life she led in Barbados in the parish of St.Michael. Robyn Rihanna Fenty has come through her musical initiation process unscathed. And now she is poised for everything that 2006 may hold as she readies to do it again with her sophomore release A Girl Like Me.

"I grew up so much this past year. I had no choice. To pursue my dreams, and with their support, I left my entire family in Barbados to move to the States. It was a little scary to have no friends or family and all of a sudden step into a recording studio," recalled Rihanna.

"2005 taught me the dedication and responsibility it takes to make this dream a reality. Waking up at 5:00 am to start rehearsals, the training, the schoolwork, interviews, video shoots, going all day; it always seemed glamorous but it is real work. My love for music and singing will never change but the rose colored glasses are no longer so rosy."

"Many times over the past year, I didn't have anyone my age with me. When recording this album, I wanted it to seem like I was having a personal conversation with girls my age," says the eighteen-year-old singer. "People think, because we're young, we aren't complex, but that's not true. We deal with life and love and broken hearts in the same way a woman a few years older might. My goal on A Girl Like Me was to find songs that express the many things young women want to say, but might not know how."

Dropping from the harmonic heavens to the groovalistic dance floor, Rihanna has returned with another single that will have listeners begging the d.j. to play it one more time. Produced by Jason Rotem, the sizzling "S.O.S." is bringing the summer heat early this year. With its hypnotic beat and enticing melody, "S.O.S." utilizes the electro-funk of Soft Cell's '80s classic "Tainted Love" to create a soulful anthem of young love.

"I got excited when I first heard this track and three days later, it was recorded," Rihanna says. Turning heads with its rebel sound, "S.O.S." has been used as the theme song for their NIKE latest women's line, which can be viewed on NikeWomen.com. "Making that commercial was yet another new experience," she says. "It took six days to shoot, but working with choreographer Jamie King (Madonna and Shakira) was amazing."

Focusing on progressing as an artist, Rihanna has recorded a compelling track of heartbreak called "Unfaithful." Penned by her label-mate Ne-Yo and Stargate, the song documents the tragic decay of a relationship when another person starts cheating.

Yet, in this instance, it is the girl who has strayed. "On a lot of records, men talk about cheating as though it's all a game. For me, 'Unfaithful' is not just about stepping out on your man, but the pain that it causes both parties."

Perhaps the most surprising track is the rock meets island vibe of "Kisses Don't Lie." Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, the principles of her production company, SRP, used a mixture of Caribbean elements, electric guitar and a mesmerizing bassline." Coming from Barbados, I really hadn't heard that much rock music," Rihanna confesses. "Touring with Gwen changed my perspective. So, when I was discussing this project with L.A. Reid, Chairman of Island Def Jam Records, I made sure to say I want to experiment with some rock."

During the recording of A Girl Like Me, Rihanna jet set down to Jamaica to record with Sean Paul on the yardie duet "Break It Off." Smiling, Rihanna explains, "I have so much respect and love for Sean Paul. He took me to visit the Bob Marley Museum before going into the studio, which was an amazing experience. When we finally got to the studio, I felt as though Marley's spirit was in the room with us."

With A Girl Like Me, the beautiful singer proves that her breakthrough was no fluke. After selling 1 million copies worldwide of her debut Music Of The Sun, once again, the summer belongs to Rihanna.

Maura Tierney having operation to rid breast tumor

Actress Maura Tierney says she's having surgery to remove a tumor in her breast.

Tierney, who recently wrapped a long-running stint on the NBC medical drama "ER," issued a statement about the surgery on Monday, giving no details on her condition and when she'd due to have the operation.

Says Tierney: "I will not know either my exact diagnosis or course of treatment until that surgery is performed."

Tierney says her doctors assured her "this is a very treatable condition," and she's "very optimistic as to the outcome."

Tierney's setback has delayed production on her new NBC series, "Parenthood," for eight weeks. The network said the medical drama "Mercy" will instead premiere this fall.

Despite complications, Mira Sorvino welcomes 'miracle baby

After a stressful pregnancy and a series of complications, Mira Sorvino gave birth to her third child, Holden Paul Terry Backus, and both mother and son are doing well.

Sorvino and husband, Christopher Backus, were thrilled to welcome 8-pound, 12-ounce Holden on June 22 in Los Angeles.

"As soon as they placed him in my arms I knew it had all been worth it," Sorvino told People.com. "He is my miracle baby. With everything that threatened this pregnancy and both of our lives, he came out of it completely unscathed: perfectly healthy, beautiful and wonderful!"

Holden joins 4-year-old sister, Mattea, and 3-year-old brother, Johnny. In an official statement, the couple announced, "We ared to bring our beautiful healthy son home to his brother and sister. We are blessed to have a home filled with so much love."

Sorvino faced considerable difficulties with her third pregnancy, including placenta previa, which forced her to spend weeks in the hospital and then be on bed rest.

"I developed a blood clot due to all the inactivity and had to be anti-coagulated for months to prevent a pulmonary embolism," she explained. "I spent another 2-1/2 weeks at the hospital, during which time, missing the children and my husband and knowing what the separation was doing to the kids became almost unbearable. Prior to this nine-week hospital stay, I had only ever spent one night away from Johnny and Mattea."

The 41-year-old actress also suffered through a long labor and delivery. "The baby was very big and he came a couple of weeks early so it took longer than we thought," she said. "During the day we had some scary difficulties with the epidural as I achieved almost no progress with the labor and then at night the placenta created problems again. Although it was not blocking the baby's path as it had done for almost the entire pregnancy, it started causing me a substantial loss of blood. Just as we began begging for a C-section, the situation turned around and the end of the birth was very easy."

But it was all worth it in the end for Sorvino, who says Mattea and Johnny love playing with their new baby brother. "They make up songs to sing to him! My only challenge has been convincing them not to touch him and pet him while he's sleeping, because they wake him up!"

Mira Sorvino gives birth to 3rd child

Actress Mira Sorvino has confirmed she gave birth to her third child in Los Angeles after a difficult pregnancy.

The Oscar winner told People.com son Holden Paul Terry Backus was born June 22 and weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces.

He is the third child for the "Mighty Aphrodite" star and her actor husband Christopher Backus. The couple are also the parents of a 4-year-old daughter named Mattea and a 3-year-old son called Johnny.

"We are overjoyed to bring our beautiful healthy son home to his brother and sister," Sorvino and Backus said in a statement issued to People magazine Monday. "We are blessed to have a home filled with so much love."

During her third pregnancy, the 41-year-old actress reportedly suffered placenta previa for which she was hospitalized for weeks, then placed on complete bed rest.

"I developed a blood clot (DVT) due to all the inactivity and had to be anti-coagulated for months to prevent a pulmonary embolism," Sorvino told People.com. "I spent another two-and-a-half weeks at the hospital, during which time, missing the children and my husband and knowing what the separation was doing to the kids became almost unbearable. Prior to this nine-week hospital stay, I had only ever spent one night away from Johnny and Mattea."

The actress said that as soon as she held Holden in her arms, she knew "it had all been worth it."

"He is my miracle baby. With everything that threatened this pregnancy and both of our lives, he came out of it completely unscathed: perfectly healthy, beautiful and wonderful," Sorvino added.

Mira Sorvino Gives Birth After Life-Threatening Pregnancy

Mira Sorvino suffered for weeks with life-threatening complications before giving birth on June 22, her rep announced today.

"He is my miracle baby," Sorvino, 41, says of her baby boy, Holden Paul Terry. "With everything that threatened this pregnancy and both of our lives, he came out of it completely unscathed."

The Oscar-winner was hospitalized for almost two months after developing placenta previa—a condition that can require bed rest and hospitalization—along with a blood clot...

The child, Sorvino's third with hubby Christopher Backus, arrived two weeks early and weighed in at 8 lbs., 12 oz. He joins 3-year-old Johnny Christopher King and 4-year-old Mattea Angel.

"It is fantastic for us to be reunited and bring our bundle of joy home for Mattea and Johnny to adore," Sorvino said. "It's is also wonderful to be able to tell the kids that Mommy is not sick anymore and that I am not going back to the hospital."

In love It's not enough to keep a marriage, study finds

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Living happily ever after needn't only be for fairy tales. Australian researchers have identified what it takes to keep a couple together, and it's a lot more than just being in love.

A couple's age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not are factors that influence whether their marriage is going to last, according to a study by researchers from the Australian National University.

The study, entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It," tracked nearly 2,500 couples -- married or living together -- from 2001 to 2007 to identify factors associated with those who remained together compared with those who divorced or separated.

It found that a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25.

Children also influence the longevity of a marriage or relationship, with one-fifth of couples who have kids before marriage -- either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship -- having separated compared to just nine percent of couples without children born before marriage.

Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce.

A couple's parents also have a role to play in their own relationship, with the study showing some 16 percent of men and women whose parents ever separated or divorced experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10 percent for those whose parents did not separate.

Also, partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90 percent more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage.

Not surprisingly, money also plays a role, with up to 16 percent of respondents who indicated they were poor or where the husband -- not the wife -- was unemployed saying they had separated, compared with only nine percent of couples with healthy finances.

And couples where one partner, and not the other, smokes are also more likely to have a relationship that ends in failure.

Factors found to not significantly affect separation risk included the number and age of children born to a married couple, the wife's employment status and the number of years the couple had been employed.

The study was jointly written by Dr Rebecca Kippen and Professor Bruce Chapman from The Australian National University, and Dr Peng Yu from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Watch Michael Jackson memorial at Wright Museum news here free

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit plans to show a broadcast of the public memorial for Michael Jackson Tuesday in Los Angeles. There is no admission charge; seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.